Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Tears of joy and moments provoking laughter played out Saturday, at Summerland Public School, as the Class of 2025 reached a milestone: graduation. Following the processional, played by the Summerland band, Superintendent Molly Aschoff welcomed faculty, family and guests. Lydia Robertson provided the senior welcome. She noted that the communities support and encouragement led to the moment. "Beyond this point, your continued guidance will allow us to accomplish great things in the next chapter o...
Summerland’s boys track and field competed in the Plainview Invite on May 7. The Bobcats ended in third place with 94 points, trailing champion, Bloomfield, 109 points and runner-up, Plainview, 99. Gavin Whiting, Parker Napier and Ryan Rifer won gold in individual events. Results by event include: 100m: Parker Napier, 3rd, 11.92, personal record; Steven Mast, 11, 12.48; Carter Mullins, 13th, 12.52, PR; Saul Cruz-Verdin, 21st, 12.98, PR; Shayne Jenkins, 27th, 13.31; 200m: Carter Mullins, 8th, 25.98; Mast, 12th, 26.22; Cruz-Verdin, 14th, 2...
Summerland Public School will bid farewell to its graduating class, Saturday, May 10. Commencement exercises will begin at 3 p.m., at the school, located at 51293 857th Road, Ewing. Under the direction of Emily Heithoff, the Summerland band will play the processional. Superintendent Molly Aschoff will present the welcome, Lydia Robertson will give the senior welcome. Principal Jacob Birch will announce senior scholarships and valedictorian medals. The class address will be presented by Jaycee...
At the inaugural Greater Northeast Activities Conference Track and Field Meet, held May 3, in Atkinson, Summerland boys finished second, scoring 75 points. West Holt took top honors with 217. Plainview tallied 72 points to place third, followed by Elkhorn Valley, 65.5; Hartington-Newcastle, 64; Lutheran High Northeast, 17.5; Laurel-Concord-Coleridge, 15; and Neligh-Oakdale, 1. Gavin Whiting established a season record in shot put. He brought home the gold hardware, throwing 48' 5.25 inches....
Alec Schindler and Lydia Robertson were named the boys and girls athlete of the year. The announcement was made Friday, May 2, during the school's athletic awards program. The two also received honors as four-year, three-sport letter winners. Schindler will continue his athletic career at Wayne State College, where he will be part of the Wildcats football program. Robertson will play volleyball for Hastings College. Recently, she was honored as a Scott Scholar at HC....
The Bobcat boys track team scored 124 points and kept the championship plaque from the Summerland Invite at home. The April 29 meet drew eight teams, including Hartington-Newcastle, finishing second with 114; Boyd County, 74; St. Mary's, 64; Stuart, 60; Chambers/Wheeler Central and Niobrara/Verdigre, 44; and Santee, 3. Multiple Bobcat competitors established new personal or season records. Gavin Whiting set a PR in shot put. He brought home the gold, throwing 46 feet, 4.5 inches. Whiting...
The Bobcat boys track team delivered another one-two knockout punch in high jump at the Tom Martin Memorial Pierce/Wausa Invitational. Ryan Rifer and Ruger Switzer both cleared six feet to take the top two spots, respectively, at the April 24 meet. Alec Schindler took home multiple medals. In the 300m hurdles, he set a season record, running 43.72 and picked up a silver medal. Schindler finished fourth in triple jump. He landed at 39’ 1 inch. He set a personal record in discus, throwing 1...
The Nebraska School Activities Association and the Nebraska State College System recently announced the 15,246 recipients of the 2024-2025 Nebraska State Colleges Multi-Activity Student Award. The award recognizes students in grades 9-12 who participate in at least three NSAA sanctioned activities during the academic year. Each high school student who participates in at least three NSAA activities will be recognized and awarded a certificate of achievement by the NSAA and the Nebraska State Colleges. Activity participation will be tracked...
Summerland National Honor Society held its induction ceremony, Wednesday, April 23. Fifteen new members were initiated, including (front row, l-r): Brylie Billings, Isabel Ortiz Ramos, Ava Rittscher, Jaycee Reynolds, Jenna Funk, Sophie Rittscher, Sierra Thomson; (second row, l-r): Abryelle Kester, Ethan Kester, Parker Napier, Logan Kester, AJ Hobbs, Ryan Rifer, Breckyn Bergman and Cassie Livingston. Conducting the candlelight ceremony were current members (third row, l-r): Michael Koenig,...
The blueprint was clear: construct a small structure and showcase carpentry, roofing, electrical, and plumbing skills-all in just two days. For the Summerland SkillsUSA TeamWorks crew, it was a solid build from start to finish. First-year competitors Ashton Cleveland, Bennet Flenniken, Willis Mast and Alec Schindler nailed the assignment at the Nebraska SkillsUSA Leadership and Skills Championships, held April 10–12 at the Heartland Events Center in Grand Island. They walked away with gold m...
Bobcat boys track team members earned medals in four events at the April 17 O'Neill Classic Invite. Summerland tied for 11th place in the 13-team field. Ryan Rifer cleared 6' 2 inches, placing second in high jump. In the 800m, Rifer crossed the finish linen in 2:26.37, placing 12th. Ruger Switzer ended fifth in high jump. He cleared 5' 10 inches. Parker Napier brought home the fourth-place medal in pole vault. He cleared 11 feet. Napier ended seventh in long jump after reaching 19' .5 inches....
Members of the Summerland SkillsUSA chapter competed at the 2025 State Leadership Convention, April 10-12, in Grand Island. The Teamworks crew, comprised of Ashton Cleveland, Bennet Flenniken, Willis Mast, and Alec Schindler, won gold, finishing in first place. The group qualified for national competition at the National Leadership and Skills Conference, June 23 to 27, in Atlanta. Jason Shaver and Marlin Krysl won gold and finishing first in drone technology basics, which is a state-only...
Summerland FFA, FCCLA, SkillsUSA and FBLA members participated in their respective state leadership conferences recently. Several brought home medals from the competitions. FFA: Jenna Funk: cooperative speaking, fourth place, gold rating; Sara Hemenway: discover speaking fifth place, gold rating; Conduct of Chapter Meetings team, Braelyn Bergman, Taylen Nilson, Kanyon Allemang, Jaelyn Shaver, Asher Whiting, Damien Hupp and Ryder Hemenway: seventh place, gold rating; Livestock Evaluation senior...
Summerland girls and boys track teams traveled to Battle Creek, April 8, for the BC Track Invite. The girls finished in eight place scoring 18.67 points. Lydia Robertson and Caydence Schumacher picked up medals in high jump. Robertson cleared 5 feet, while Schumacher ended in a tie for fifth place. She jumped 4' 6 inches. Robertson finished in 12th in the 200m prelims, running 29.59. Karley Dawkins finished fourth in the 1600m, running 6:25.27, a season record. In the 400m, Dawkins placed 19th,...
The football season will continue for two Summerland seniors selected for the 48th annual Sertoma Nebraska Eight Man All-Star game. Alec Schindler and Keaton Thiele will play for the West team. Bobcat coach Tom Thramer will lead the West squad. Brett Kaczor will join as an assistant, along with Mat Jageler of South Loup and Cory Valasek of Riverside. The game is set for a 6 p.m. kickoff, Saturday, June 21 at Lloyd Wilson Field on the Hastings College campus. The East team will be coached by Rusty Fuller of Hartington-Newcastle. For more...
Summerland juniors and seniors dressed up for an evening of fun, March 26, at the junior-senior prom. The event included introduction of students during the Grand March, a steak dinner, dancing and post-prom activities. Bailey Ahlers and Preston Hoke were named prom queen and king, respectively....
Alec Schindler's first blood donation was a moment to remember, captured in photos and video by several of his classmates. As the Red Cross worker warned, "You might feel a pinch," Schindler chuckled, with Addyson Fletcher and Preston Hoke by his side to keep him at ease. Schindler deposited his first pint, Wednesday, March 26, during a blood drive hosted by Summerland Future Business Leaders of America. The drive was held in the school's auxiliary gym. "I've always thought it is cool to give...
Summerland boys track team finished third at Friday’s Ainsworth Relays, relying on strong showings in the 800m and 300m hurdles and outstanding efforts in field events. O’Neill claimed the team title with 110 points, edging out runner-up West Holt. The Huskies scored 104 points. The Bobcats ended with 90. Gavin Whiting claimed gold in shot put. He set a season record with a toss of 45’ 5.5 inches. In discus, Whiting’s throw of 129’ 6 inches was strong enough for second place and set a season re...
Summerland boys track team members finished first in seven events, to finished first at Thursday's Neligh Relays. In high jump, Ryan Rifer coasted over the bar, set at 6 feet 4 inches, setting a school record. Ruger Switzer cleared 5' 10 inches; Preston Hoke, 5' 8 inches and Ethan Kester, 4' 8 inches. The shot put crew finished second. Gavin Whiting led the way with a toss of 47' one-half inch. Jason Shaver had a throw hit 36' 11 inches; Mathias Wagner threw 35' 4 inches and Landon McAllister, 3...
Senior Ruger Switzer earned two medals while junior Ryan Rifer claimed the high jump title, Friday, at the Wayne Invite at the Wildcat Dome. Coach Shannon Schumacher said he was happy with the way things started for the year despite not having a full squad competing. "We didn't take all of the boys to the first meet because some of them haven't practiced yet because of state basketball ... some of the younger kids got to do some events that they normally might not get a chance to," he said....
Sam Cheatum, Alec Schindler and Keaton Thiele will have one more opportunity to play under Friday night lights. The trio of Bobcats have been selected to play for the white squad in the 2025 Northeast Nebraska All-Star Football Classic. The game will be played at Memorial Stadium in Norfolk, with a 7 p.m. kickoff. Other plays selected for the white team include Barrett Wilke, Becker Pohlman, Garrett Hansen, Jordan Claussen, Braylon Anderson, Isaak Maxwell, Corbin Guill, Jeremiah Drukenmiller,...
Redemption came in two forms for the Summerland Bobcats boys basketball team Saturday. After falling short of their title hopes, the Bobcats rebounded with a 55-48 win over West Holt to claim third place at the 2025 NSAA Boys State Basketball Championships. Following a tough semifinal loss to eventual state champion Archbishop Bergan, Summerland responded with resilience, proving they belonged among Nebraska's best. The win also avenged a Feb. 8 loss to West Holt in the GNAC title game and...
Several Summerland athletes received all-conference honors and honorable mention. Named to the all-conference basketball team were Lydia Robertson, Kanyon Allemang, Preston Hoke, Michael Koenig and Sam Cheatum. Students named to the honorable mention list for basketball include Jenna Funk, Alec Schindler, Parker Napier and Carter Bergman....
To gain momentum, a small action is a good place to start. For the Bobcats, the action was a second quarter run - including 14 in a row for Summerland - that propelled them to the school's first-ever first-round win in the Nebraska School Activities Association Championships, beating Exeter-Milligan/Friend, 68-55. "Fantastic win," Brett Kaczor. "Huge crowd, a lot of energy. I thought our kids held their composure." The EMF Bobcats jumped to a 16-9 lead by the end of the first quarter. Kaczor...
Every shot in basketball is a battle between physics and probability-angle, velocity, and backspin determine whether the ball finds the net or rims out. For the Summerland Bobcats, too many shots missed their mark in Friday's 64-48 Class C2 semifinal loss to Archbishop Bergan at the Devaney Center in Lincoln. The Bobcats made just 18 of 54 attempts. Bergan jumped ahead 19-6 after one quarter and led 33-18 at halftime, disrupting Summerland's plan to start strong and apply pressure. "We couldn't...
